This pose is really becoming popular in the newborn photography industry. It is definitely adorable, but I always want to be sure potential clients know that I would NEVER put Baby in danger by having him or her support the weight of his or her own head! The purpose of this post is to unveil the mystery behind this pose and to inform potential clients about the measures I take to ensure no babies are hurt or put in danger 🙂

I always need a helper for this pose, otherwise I don’t do it. Mom helped with this session and she handled it like a seasoned pro! Typically I position Baby’s legs and then, while I support his chin in the webbing between my thumb and index finger (the position some parents/caregivers use to burp Baby), I position Baby’s hands. I then ask my helper to hold Baby’s wrists together with one hand, and gently hold the top of Baby’s head with the other. Something like this:Next, I have my helper remove one hand, ensuring that Baby is still supported while I capture either the top half or the bottom half of the shot:Finally, I capture the other half trying as hard as humanly possible to snap the image from the same angle/position as the previous shot for ease of editing in post-processing.Last but not least, I combine the top half of one image with the bottom half of the other image to create the final image. This is MUCH easier said than done! I loved how this cable knit throw coordinated with the adorable pumpkin hat (which was so appropriate for a November baby!), but besides making sure Baby’s ears, nose, etc. lined up in the final product, I needed to make some effort to make sure the patterns in the blanket didn’t look wonky!

There you have it! No babies were hurt during the making of this image 🙂